I caved and broke out the DSLR and went around and took pictures of the house and garden and things. So, this is pretty much a similar post to my last one, but with better pictures. I didn't take any pictures of the herbs in the back patio.

If you click on the pictures, a viewer will pop up and you'll see a larger version of the picture and the caption that goes with it.

I have decided that life on the homestead is a triage system. We do what we need to do until something more urgent comes along, then our original task is put on hold while the urgent task is handled. Example: we have a wall that is coming down. The drywall is off, but the frame is still up. It will be a while before the frame comes down because we have some basement flooding problems that were the product of a landscaping flaw. Maybe in our down time the wall will come down. Who knows?

So here are some things that have altered our Triage List a few times:

It's not all bad, we have a lot of really awesome things going on this year too... assuming the awesome things don't get eaten by bugs.

Since we have moved into our new house, there is always something to do. In fact, at any given time, there are always at least 5 things to do. That being said, we don't have time to do much except what needs to be done. It's a triage system. We don't always do what we want to do, we do what we need to do. It is mid-June and we just managed to get our garden in. I've already learned so much. I love playing in the dirt and doing things in the yard, which means that the things that need to be done in the house (like unpacking) are put on the back burner.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the last month in Michigan.

Tilling up the garden.

Taking a break from working in the garden to fly some superhero kites.

Teaching Rommy that she isn't allowed in the garden... we're still working on it.

Giant mosquito bite of doom.

Dirt on the face... dirt everywhere!

The finished product!

There is a phrase that I use sparingly. When I say it, I really mean it. "good-looking". This is one of those times when I will use it. That is some good-looking soil.

And here are some random, fun pictures!

And here is a crazy Rommy story. So, Rommy likes to chase squirrels. She can tree them well enough, but she usually loses them. Honestly, she is pretty dumb about it. Anyway, here is a picture of me next to a tree (note the dirty knees) to give you a height comparison and then a video of Rommy attempting to chase a squirrel up a tree.

I was standing in line at Subway today, thinking about their motto: "Eat Fresh". Then, I looked at the containers if vegetables, meats, and cheeses that had been sitting out since... well, I don't really want to think about when they were set out. I thought, "Is this really 'eating fresh'?" No. It's not. That made me think about American society today. The "freshest" food that most Americans consume is probably fast food. It is frozen and then fried basically in front of your eyes. Who would have thought, that in today's world, the freshest food consumed most often is actually the worst for us?

This makes me admire people like my friends Sara and Kevin. I was over at their house the other day and had all sorts of delicious food concoctions from their garden, or a family member's garden. I can't believe how long it's been since I've had really fresh food.